TAMPA, Fla — A national lifeguard shortage is threatening to keep public pools closed or operating on reduced hours again this summer — but a 20-year-old University of Tampa student is working to change that, one certification at a time.
The American Lifeguard Association says that about one-third of the 309,000 public pools in the United States had to remain closed or reduce hours during the summer of 2025 due to a lack of staff. Forecasts for this summer suggest that the number could rise to half of all public pools.
Joey Agresta has been a lifeguard since she was 15 years old. Like many teenage lifeguards, she got her start at her parents' urging.
"My family was telling me, you should get a summer job, and my friend told me to get a lifeguarding job, like it'll be fun. And so at first I was very hesitant, and I took the class, and I did very well," Agresta said.
Now a junior in college, Agresta has trained more than 250 new lifeguards in just the last few years. She says it is difficult to watch interest in the profession decline.
"It's very hard to understand that people don't want to do it, especially because people used to be like, I want to lifeguard. I want to sit outside. I want to get a tan. I want to chill, but it's something more important than that, and they are finally realizing that, and some people are just getting to the point where they don't want to do that anymore," Agresta said.
In Florida — a state that leads the nation in drowning deaths — Agresta says the work feels personal.
"It really motivates me because seeing that people aren't lifeguarding as much anymore is something that really breaks my heart because lifeguarding is such a fun job and it's very rewarding every day," Agresta said.
Agresta teaches her certification course at the University of Tampa. The course costs about $200 and takes three days to complete.
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